The present invention relates to a system for printing sequences of indicia. More particularly the present invention is a system and method for printing labels wherein the indicia can vary over the printing sequence.
Many situations arise in which a sequence of indicia needs to be printed. The indicia may comprises textual or graphical matter. One example familiar to many is the printing of form letters by a mail merge process. Typically, a mail merge process comprises generating a template document including the static text of the form letter and placeholders for variable data. The variable data is stored in some form of list in a separate data source file. The form letters are produced by repeatedly inserting the next set of variable data in the data source file into a respective copy of the template document at the places specified by the place holders until the end of the data source file is reached.
A problem with the mail merge process, which is particularly acute in the case of label generation, is that the data source file must be produced before any individual merged document can be viewed or printed. Furthermore, the data source file must be wholly rebuilt and saved to disk before the form letters, labels etc. can be previewed or printed.
This basic process has also been used for the generation of labels. Examples are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,939,674 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,621,864. Other patents have been issued for invention relating to label printing. For example:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,995,985 describes a software system which allows the user to select and arrange fields and images on series of labels to be printed. The user selects a specific label template. On each label the user may place text, graphics, or stamps, by using the drag and drop buttons. The user may insert fields against templates, which reference to a database.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,659,603 describes a system for creating a template and printing a label sheet for individual telephone numbers and features.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,621,864 describes a system for printing labels that have both varied templates and varied indicia fields. This system provides the user with the ability to vary the sequence of information displayed in indicia fields.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,675 describes the tape printer which allows the user to change the layout parameters of a label to be printed. The user may vary type face features, the type of bar code symbol to be printed, and the information to be printed on the label
U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,789 describes an apparatus for printing bar code information on a tape. The display cannot show both text data and graphic data at the same time nor can the device is be adapted for array printing
U.S. Pat. No. 5,841,954 describes a printer that can print both alphanumeric characters and bar codes on a label. Software provides printing instructions for the correct size of a bar corresponding to a number in a bar code.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,433 describes an apparatus which allows a user to make his or her own software program for label printing. The user may build specific programs separately and then execute a series of linked programs, in order to achieve an overall desired product.
Patent No. DE4228576 to Schwille describes computer software which allows a user to improve both text and graphic image on a label.
European Patent No. WO9729957 to Liedtke describes software which creates labels with text and graphic data. Labels of a variety of sizes may be printed on one label sheet. Further, labels containing both text and graphic images are shown
U.S. Pat. No. 5,930,810 describes a system for designing a variety of document types and printing to either a local or a remote printer. A template is provided for the user, such as business card or a certificate. Graphic files are available for the user to define pictures and text to be shown on the desired product.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,784 describes a computer system for printing a sheet of labels where each label may contain multiple text strings and multiple graphic images. This system uses a graph table which tracks the position of printable pixels for each label.
U.S. Patent No. 4,875,174 describes a computer peripheral that accesses software and data stored on the host computer in order to print labels without interrupting other host computer functions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,939,674 describes an apparatus for sequential labeling. The apparatus allows a user to designate a label of any size and shape. A user may place fields on each label containing either text or graphic files. Control software provides predefined templates or the ability to create custom templates. In this case, this patent does disclose applying a sequence with a user template.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,559,934 describes an apparatus for printing labels which automatically optimizes characters to fit within the printable range of a specific label. The apparatus stores template information, standard label sheets, and label positions.
Given the flexibility in printing that is required in today""s communications, what would be useful is a system that applies a printing sequence that can be flexibly designated via a user template, applying a sequence with a cog and wheel counter algorithm, using a counter to reference an image to be inserted in a field, and streaming print instructions by a parent/child hierarchy thereby avoiding the need for the data source file required in conventional mail merge and label printing systems.
According to the present invention, there is provided a system for displaying a sequence of indicia, the system comprising:
indicia selection means; and
output means for producing command signals for a display apparatus, characterised in that
the indicia selection means includes a list whose members each define an indicium and is configured to perform a process for selecting a member of said list in dependence on a supplied index value derived from an ordinal value related to a display region in which an indicium in said list is to be displayed, and
the output means is configured for generating and supplying said values to said process for selecting list members and generating display apparatus control signals for displaying the indicia defined by the selected list members.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a method of producing a display of an indicium in a sequence of indicia, the method comprising:
selecting an indicium definition from a list of indicium definitions in dependence on a supplied index value derived from an ordinal value related to a display region in which the indicium is to be displayed; and
producing display apparatus control signals for causing a display device to display the indicia defined by the selected definition.
With regard to the term xe2x80x9cindiciumxe2x80x9d, a blank space is an xe2x80x9cindiciumxe2x80x9d if it is to be printed in response to said selection process.
Thus, the present invention avoids the data source file employed in the prior art for sequences of indicia. Furthermore, the indicia selection means can be used to obtain an indicium out of sequence, e.g. for individual preview, without having to search through a file of indicia.
Most usefully, the display apparatus control signals are printer control signals as this enables labels, for example, to be printed. However, it is desirable that the indicia be displayed on a screen, e.g. a computer screen, before the user commits to printing them.
Preferably, the indicia selection makes use of a software object including the list of variables and a method for obtaining a position in said list in dependence on said supplied value. More preferably, this object comprises a further list of variables, each defining an indicium, said lists of variables are ordered, and the method can selectively obtain a position in said further list in dependence on a supplied value.
The lists need not be the same length.
The selection of an indicium preferably comprises, for each list until the list before that from which a position is required, assigning the result of N div xe2x80x9cthe length of the current listxe2x80x9d to N and then obtaining the result of N mod xe2x80x9cthe length of the list from which the position is requiredxe2x80x9d as the required position, where N is initially the supplied value.
Preferably, the ordinal value is the position of a display region in an array of display regions. However, it could relate to a temporal position.
The present invention has particular application in the printing and display of labels.
Preferably, step and repeat values associated with a label group are stored and the supplied value is derived from the ordinal value and the relevant step and repeat values.
The present invention may be implemented using a conventional computer. Since the economic exploitation of the present invention will often involve the distribution of control software, protection is sought for a manifestation of a signal representing a program for controlling a computer to perform a method according to the present invention. The manifestation may comprise an electromagnetic wave or a spatial variation in a physical property, such as magnetic field direction or reflectance.